Disposable cape for beauty salon patrons



y 962 M. o. LARSON 3,031,676

DISPOSABLE CAPE FOR BEAUTY SALON PATRONS Filed March 22, 1960 INVENTOIRMERLYN o. LARSON BY 77% W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,031,676DISPOSABLE CAPE FOR BEAUTY SALON PATRONS Merlyn O. Larson, 14 E. 2nd St,Spencer, Iowa Filed Mar. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 16,869 2 Claims. (Cl. 2--50)My invention relates to a disposable cape for use, for instance, bybeauty salon and barber shop operators and beauticians, and moreparticularly, to a cape arrangement that includes a low cost disposablesheeting material and a permanent tie band or neck piece assembly thatpermits the sheeting material to be changed after use on a patron.

The services usually performed by beauty salons and the like customarilyrequire that the patrons garments be covered with a protecting coveringof some sort. Cloth capes, towels and the like frequently are employedto serve this purpose, but they require laundrying after use, whichmaterially increases operating costs, and, of course, they are tooexpensive to dispose of after one use.

Some so-called disposable coverings are available, but the need forproviding some way to securely fasten them in place, without perforatingthem with pins or the like, has required the use of fasteningarrangements that preclude economical disposability because of theirexpense.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a disposable capearrangement that contemplates the use of a permanent Washable tie bandor neck piece assembly and a disposable film-like sheet of cape-likeconfiguration which may be detachably secured to the tie band assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel neck piecearrangement adapted for releasable attachment to capes or aprons formedfrom an inexpensive disposable sheeting material.

Other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or become apparentfrom a consideration of the following detailed description and theapplication drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the disposable capein assembled relation, and as it would appear when applied to a patron;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the cape when laid out flat;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the neckline portion of the capebetter illustrating the tie band or neck piec assembly of the invention;and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmental cross-sectional view substantially along line4-4 of FIGURE 3, on an enlarged scale, and showing one of the fasteningdevices of the neck piece when positioned to receive the neckline of thesheeting material forming the cape.

Reference numeral of FIGURE 1 generally indicates a cape assemblyembodying my invention which comprises a sheet 12 of an inexpensivefilm-like material formed to define a cape-like configuration having aneckline portion 14 to which is applied a tie band or neck piece deviceor assembly 16 for securing the sheet 12 over the clothes of the patron.

As indicated in FIGURE 2, the sheet 12 when laid out fiat may have agenerally quadrilateral configuration including rectilinear sides 18 and19, and ends 20 and 21. End 21 is formed with a re-entrant angle portion22 that defines the neckline of the sheeting 12, and the necklineportion 14 should be sufficiently long to extend around, in the usualmanner, the neck of the patron.

The tie band or neck piece assembly 16 comprises a centrally disposedneckline portion 24 having affixed to its ends 26 and 28 flexible tiebands 30.

The central neckline portion 24 in the form illustrated comprises a pairof strips or bands 32, formed from a suitable flexible material, doubledover as at 34, and

ice

stitched together along like ,ends as at 36. This defines the center orneckline portion 24 into a holding device having spaced adjacent walls38 and 40 and an open elongate mouth 42 leading to an elongate pocket44.

Interposed within the pocket 44 are a plurality of spaced snap fasteningdevices 46 each composed of a male fastening element 48 and a femalefastening element 5!). The fastening elements of each fastener deviceare secured to the respective Walls 38 and 40 in opposed relation sothat these elements may be snapped together in the well-known manner.

The tie bands 30 may be stitched between the strips or layers 32 byappropriate stitching 52 and in the illustrated embodiment, mouth 42 andpocket 44 extend be tween the two stitchings 52. I

The tie band or neck piece assembly 16 is applied to the sheet 12 byinserting the neckline portion 14 of the sheet within pocket 44, withthe edge 54 of the sheet disposed beyond the fastening elements 48 and50 of the respective fastening devices (assuming that the fasteningdevices are opened). The individual pairs of fastening elements are thenpressed together with the sheeting 12 disposed between them and thissecurely locks the neck piece or tie band assembly to the sheet 12 torender the cape assembly 10 ready for use.

In accordance with this invention, the sheet 12 is formed from aninexpensive film material such as cellophane, polyethylene, one of thecellulose esters, such as cellulose acetate, a polyvinyl acetate orchloride or copolymer of both and the sheet should be made as thin aspossible so that there will be minimum expense per square foot. I havefound that a sheet formed from polyethylene having a thickness of 2 milsor less (one mil equals .001 inch) is r very well suitable for purposesof this invention. However, all of the materials mentioned, when insheet form having a thickness on the order of that specified, aresufficiently thin and flexible to avoid interference with the lockingaction of fastening devices 46.

The neck piece assembly may be formed from a suitable flexible materialsuch as cloth or some suitable plastic, and it is intended that the tieband assembly or neck piece will be more or less permanently retainedfor repeated use while the sheet 12 is to be disposed of after it issoiled and/ or damaged.

Thus, when a patron is to be treated, a sheet 12 may be attached to thetie band or neck piece assembly 16 by inserting same within the mouth 44of the neckline portion of assembly 16, and past the elements 48 and 50of the fastener devices, after which the fastener devices are closed bypressing their respective elements together. The sheet and tie band orneck piece assembly then form the cape assembly 10 which may be appliedabout the back and shoulders of the patron, the tie bands 30 then beingtied together to secure the cape assembly in place. After the patron hasbeen treated, the cape assembly is removed by untieing the bands 39,after which the fastening devices 46 may be separated to remove thesheet 12 (if it is to be replaced) to ready the tie band or neck pieceassembly for receiving the next sheet 12.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a cape as sembly which is bestadapted for efiecting the disposability now desired by beauty salonoperators and the like. Since the sheet 12 carries no fastening devicesor elements whatsoever, and is merely a single sheet of film-likematerial having a cape-like shape, no real economic loss is incurred bydisposing of same after one use. The fastening devices are aflixed toand form part of the tie band or neck piece assembly which may beinexpensively cleaned due to its diminutive size. Furthermore, the tieband or neck piece assembly need only be infrequently cleaned since itsposition about the neck of the patron prevents it from becoming readilysoiled.

One of the most salient features of the invention is its low cost. Thisdevice can be profitably marketed for only a fraction of the cost ofconventional disposable capes.

I contemplate that the tie band assembly 16 may be employed as part ofan apron assembly in which the sheet 12 is given the form of an apronand the assembly 16 is proportional for tieing about ones waist.

The thickness of sheeting 12 is preferably in the range of /z2 mils assheeting having thicknesses in this range provided the economy factor Idesire with sufficient body to withstand a reasonable amount of usebutwithout interfering with the operation of the snap devices. Sheetingin the indicated thickness range is also light and comfortable to wearwhile having sufficient body to readily be spread out over the patronsperson.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explainand illustrate my invention and the invention is not to be limitedthereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, sincethose skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be ableto make modifications and variations therein without departing from thescope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A protective cape assembly for beauty salon patrons and the like,said cape assembly comprising a single sheet of disposable imperforatefilm having a uniform thickness in the range of one-half to two mils,said sheet being formed to define a cape having a neckline portion, anda tie band device comprising an elongated member having a centralneckline portion and a tie band aflixed to each end of said centralportion, said central portion comprising two elongate layers of flexiblematerial secured in juxtaposition along one longitudinally extendingedge of said tie band device to define an elongate pocket that opensalong and lengthwise of the other longitudinally extending edge of saidtie band device, said neckline portion of said sheet having a length onthe order of the length of said pocket, said central portion of said tieband device having afiixed to the sides of said layers that face eachother in said side pocket spaced snap fastener devices, said snapfastener devices each comprising a pair of complementary male and femalelocking elements afiixed to the respective layers in opposed relation,

said sheet being secured to said tie band device by said necklineportion of said sheet being interposed within said pockets in laid outrelation and between the respective elements of each of said snapfastener device with the respective elements of said snap fastenerdevices closed in interlocking relation.

2. A protective cape assembly for beauty salon patrons and the like,said cape assembly comprising a single sheet of disposable unpleatedplastic material having a thickness in the range of one-half to twomils, said sheet in plan having a generally quadrilateral configurationwith one of the sides thereof being formed with a re-entrant angleportion defining an arcuate neckline portion adapted to be receivedabout the neck of the user, and a tie band device comprising anelongated member having a central neckline portion and a tie bandaffixed to each end of said central portion, said central portioncomprising two elongate layers of flexible material secured injuxtaposition along one longitudinally extending edge of said tie banddevice to define an elongate pocket that opens along and lengthwise ofthe other longitudinally extending edge of said tie band device, saidneckline portion of said sheet having a length on the order of thelength of said pocket, said central portion of said tie band devicehaving aflixed to the sides of said layers that face each other insidesaid pocket spaced pairs of snap fastener devices, said snap fastenerdevices each comprising a pair of complementary male and female lockingelements atfixed to the respective layers in opposed relation, saidsheet being secured to said tie band device by said neckline portion ofsaid sheet being interposed within said pocket in laid out relation andbetween the respective elements of each of said snap fastener deviceswith the respective elements of said snap fastener devices closed ininterlocking relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,709,812 Kanzow June 7, 1955 2,756,430 West July 31, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS 812,273 Germany Aug. 27, 1951 ba -rib

